The Laughing Swordsman

Eden ran out in a bit of a fluster. Apollo remained in her arms, just curiously looking at the nearby people.

Eden was able to take a few steps forward, but slowed to a stop. She bit her lip.

"Apollo... why did you choose me?"

Apollo looked up to Eden and tilted his head to the side.

"Because you sound less boring. I don't like boring people."

Eden smiled bitterly.

"B-But what the priest said was true. They would be able to do a much better job than me."

Apollo scratched his cheek with a finger.

"Mm... ok? Where are we going to go first?"

Eden was a little taken aback by how little Apollo cared. She wondered why this was the case, then came to the conclusion that Apollo wanted her to do the tour. Eden felt touched.

Though the truth was Apollo really just didn't care all that much.

Not knowing this, Eden smiled.

"Then let's go to one of my favorite spots first! It's really close by, so we will get there quickly!"

She proceeded to walk down the street. As promised, it did not take long for them to reach their destination.

Eden looked at the sight in front of her with a big smile.

"This is where Zack sells his wooden carvings! He's always carving away, so there will always be something new after a few days which makes each visit exciting!"

There was a man that had a fairly large desk at the front of a house, but off of the streets. Behind him were several sets of neatly cut logs. On the desk in front of him were a few intricately made carvings. One of them was a statue of a person with a large base while another was a wooden tomato.

The man himself looked fairly young. He looked like he just crossed the age where most people lose their baby fat.

Within the man's left hand was one of these logs, but it looked like a stump. In his right hand was a small metal carving knife.

The man was deliberately cutting through the log in front of him. He kept his eyes wide open and didn't blink once, a testament to the concentration he was putting in.

This man was Zack.

A fairly large crowd had formed, taking up quite a bit of the street. Eden slowly walked up and whispered to Apollo.

"Zack is using the best part of the log, the stump. Since this is the most valuable part for carving, he is trying his utmost to make sure there are no mistakes!"

Apollo took a peek at Zack, who was carving away, then turned back to Eden.

"Why is the stump the most valuable?"

Eden let out a soft gasp, so as to not disturb the craftsman at work.

"Sorry, I forgot you are an angel, not from our world. You see, the earth will sometimes shake. This means putting wooden carvings on shelves or at eye level means they might fall and also might break."

She turned to look at Zack carving away.

"Although we could put it on the floor, wooden carvings are admired more easily at higher places. Since the stump naturally has a thick secure base that will resist rocking, it is considered most valuable."

Apollo looked towards the carvings with curiosity.

"Oh, that sounds cool."

Eden shifted her hold on him so that he had an easier time watching.

"Just wait, it should be done any moment now."

The wooden carving Zack was holding gradually took shape, forming into what looked like two large sunflowers growing out of the stump. However, they were wooden.

As he continued to refine the edges, the carving looked more and more real. Despite being stationary and wooden, it looked lifelike.

Suddenly, Zack let out a long breath, sounding exhausted. Then, he set the wooden carving down on the desk, prompting the crowd to let a few gasps of awe. A confident smirk appeared on his face as he looked at the person in front of him.

"So, you buying?"

The woman in front of him was holding onto an adult chicken. She looked at the carving with glowing eyes, then at the chicken that was in her hands. Hesitation was clear on her face, but the woman eventually handed the chicken over.

Zack took the chicken happily while the woman took the carving away, admiring it as she walked off.

An excited man walked up to Zack.

"Could I get a custom carving as well?"

Zack set down the carving knife. He waved his hand dismissively and rubbed his temple.

"Sorry, but I'm really too tired right now. Maybe tomorrow."

The man nodded.

"I see, I see."

With that, the crowd dispersed. As for Eden, she walked up.

"Wow, Zack! You even got a chicken! I wonder if I will ever be able to get one."

Zack happily stroked the chicken in his hands and chuckled.

"With this, I can finally set up my own chicken farm. There really were too many close calls with that carving."

He sighed and leaned back against the wall.

"I imagine that you could get a male chicken if you work hard, Eden."

Zack smirked.

"As for the female chicken, I wish you luck."

Eden pressed her lips together.

"Gah... you could give me your first female chick. We are friends, right?"

Zack looked off in another direction with one hand on his eyebrows, as though he was trying to look far away.

"What? Where did you go?"

Eden rolled her eyes.

"It was worth a shot."

Zack laughed.

"I could trade it to you for something worth a little less."

Eden sighed.

"Then I'll buy it from you if I ever get the chance."

Suddenly, Apollo pointed to one of the cut logs behind Zack.

"Can I have that?"

Eden blinked a few times.

"Sorry, Apollo... I don't have anything to buy it."

Zack waved his hand dismissively.

"Haha, is that your younger brother? Don't worry about it, I can give him one."